TheCable

Hundreds of residents in Kano have staged a peaceful demonstration against the ongoing demolition of structures by the state government.

A few days after he was sworn in, Abba Yusuf, governor of Kano, commenced the demolition of structures believed to be illegally erected on properties belonging to the government.

Yusuf said the demolition exercise was part of the fulfilment of his campaign promises to “restore” the urban development masterplan of the city and insisted that the exercise was not a vendetta against the past administration of Abdullahi Ganduje.

He added that more demolition would follow.

The governor’s actions attracted outcries from residents and traders who lamented the loss of goods worth millions of naira in the demolition.

‘ADDRESS YOUR ISSUES WITH GANDUJE AND STOP PUNISHING INNOCENT PEOPLE’

In reaction to the exercise which has now entered its fourth week, protesters on Monday converged at the demolished Daula Hotel along Murtala Muhammad way in the city, carrying placards that condemned the act.

Some of the inscriptions read: “Abba Gida-Gida is envy of investors”, “Don’t bring insecurity to our state”, “Our people are dying in the process of demolition”, “A responsible governor can not destroy what his predecessors built with taxpayers money”, among others.

Zahraddeen Baba, director of the Research and Development Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative, an organisation that had asked the governor to end the demolition or face a lawsuit, said it was unfortunate that properties worth N226 billion have been destroyed within three weeks of Abba’s regime.

Baba spoke on behalf of the protestors.

“We the people of Kano state unanimously voted for Governor Abba Yusuf in a view to bring development to the state. It was believed that the governor is the messiah of the time who shall continue with people’s oriented programmes of his predecessor to salvage the people of Kano state,” he said.

“It is unfortunate that within six days in office, the perceived messiah became a source of sorrow to many residents and indigenes of Kano state, who acquired land from the previous administration of Abdullahi Ganduje.

“It is disheartening when the governor ordered the demolition of properties worth over N226 billion within three weeks in office. Let it be on record that six days in office is insignificant for a people’s oriented government to order demolition of properties.”

Baba said the governor is on a vendetta mission “using people’s hard-earned investments to settle political scores with the previous administration.

He added that if the governor has anything against his predecessor, he should “please call him to answer questions instead of punishing innocent Nigerians and destroying their investments”.

“We had earlier last week urged Governor Abba Yusuf to stop further demolition and call all the affected persons to a round table in view to compensate them over the illegal demolition of their properties,” Baba added.

“Today, we are here because, the government has marked more buildings for further demolition, even though it has partially complied with the ultimatum handed over to him by this organisation, the Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiatives to stop further demolition of properties of Kano people.”